Kelben Foundation Inc.

The Kelben Foundation is a tightly held Milwaukee family foundation established in 1984 by Ted D. and Mary T. Kellner, named after Mary's father Ben Tucker (the "Kel-Ben" portmanteau). With $62.7M in assets as of FY2024 and a track record of $5–8M in annual charitable distributions, it operates as a relationship-driven private foundation — not a competitive open-grant program. Understanding this distinction is the single most important strategic insight for any prospective grantee.

The foundation's giving philosophy centers on deep community investment in Milwaukee's educational and civic infrastructure. Its largest single commitment — over $5.3M directed through United Way Charities — signals that Kelben views itself as an amplifier of established Milwaukee institutions rather than a funder of untested initiatives. Organizations seeking first-time funding should position themselves as proven, community-embedded partners, not experimental or emerging entities.

Governance has meaningfully shifted across generations. The founding generation — Mary T. Kellner as President/Treasurer and Ted D. Kellner as Vice President/Secretary — built the foundation. But Kristin Kellner Schultz, Jack T. Kellner, and Laura Kellner Lueck are now compensated directors drawing $25,000–$40,000 annually, signaling that the second generation is actively managing grant decisions. The 2025 Civic Hero Award from Lutheran Social Services, accepted publicly by Kristin and Laura, confirms that these two directors are now the primary external-facing leadership.

For organizational grants, the access pathway is exclusively through the Kellner family's civic network. There is no published RFP, no online portal, no grants manager, and no employees. Every institutional grant on record originated from a pre-existing relationship. First-time applicants must map the Kellner family's Milwaukee board memberships and civic affiliations, find genuine points of intersection, and secure a warm introduction before any funding conversation begins. Cold outreach via phone or mail is unlikely to generate a response without prior relationship context.

The scholarship program for Milwaukee Public School seniors is the one formally structured open pathway. Applicants must rank in the top 50% of their class, demonstrate financial need, reside in Milwaukee, and intend to pursue a four-year degree full-time. The application requires the official Kelben Scholarship Application Form, high school transcript, and at least two letters of recommendation, with a historically referenced deadline of March 15.

The Kelben Foundation's 990 data covers 772 total recorded grants totaling $10,029,871, with an average of $12,992 per grant and a database-level median of $1,500. This median is heavily pulled down by the large volume of individual scholarship disbursements — tuition payments to Milwaukee Public School graduates made in installments of $1,000–$5,000 per semester over multiple academic years.

Excluding individual scholarship payments and the United Way pass-through, institutional grants range from roughly $5,500 to $750,000. The Varsity Collective Charitable Fund (UW-Madison student athletes) received $750,000 in a single grant. Cardinal Stritch University received $1.51M across three separate grants — evidence that the foundation will make seven-figure multi-year commitments to deeply aligned higher education institutions. The typical first-time institutional grant lands in the $5,000–$25,000 band.

By program area: education captures the dominant share of institutional dollars, approximately 55–60% (Cardinal Stritch $1.51M; Varsity Collective $750K; St. Augustine Preparatory Academy $125K; Historic Haymarket Milwaukee $100K educational museum; St. Marcus School $83K; Milwaukee College Prep, Pathways High School, Teach For America, and College Possible each at $25K). Health and human services accounts for roughly 10–15% (Lutheran Social Services $30K; Planned Parenthood $18K; Doctors Without Borders $17.5K; Sixteenth Street Community Health $10K; SF Community Clinics $13K). Arts and culture receives approximately 5–8% (Milwaukee World Festival $200K; Milwaukee Film $25K). Youth development receives 3–5% (Fiver Children's Foundation $155K; Running Rebels $6.5K). Environmental giving is modest at roughly 1–2% (The Nature Conservancy $9K).

Geographically, 740 of 772 recorded grants (95.9%) are in Wisconsin. The remaining 4.1% spans California (16 grants), New York (5), Maryland (3), and scattered others — reflecting Kellner family national connections rather than a deliberate multi-state strategy.

Total annual giving has grown substantially over time: $1.05M in FY2013, $1.41M in FY2015, $5.13M in FY2020, $3.04M in FY2021, $8.17M in FY2022 (peak), and $6.34M in FY2023. With assets now at $62.7M, future giving capacity is meaningfully larger than at any point in the foundation's history.

The Kelben Foundation occupies a substantial mid-tier position among Milwaukee's private family foundations, with $62.7M in assets placing it well above smaller family funds but far below the city's largest grantmaking institutions.

Note: Peer asset figures are approximate, derived from publicly available 990 filings and may not reflect the most recent fiscal year.

Kelben distinguishes itself in two critical ways. First, it gives at a meaningfully higher absolute rate than similarly-sized Milwaukee family foundations — roughly 10% of assets annually versus the sector's 5% statutory minimum — reflecting active family contributions augmenting investment returns. Second, it operates without a public application process, making relationship capital the only reliable access path for organizations. Faye McBeath and the Cudahy Fund both accept open LOIs, making them more accessible to organizations that lack Kellner family connections. For grant-seekers who cannot gain traction through Kelben's relational model, those two foundations offer comparable Milwaukee focus areas through more transparent processes.

The most significant recent public event is the Kelben Foundation's receipt of the 2025 Civic Hero Award from Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan on November 4, 2025. Laura Kellner Lueck and Kristin Kellner Schultz accepted on behalf of the foundation at the LSS Heroes Celebration — publicly confirming these two second-generation directors as Kelben's philanthropic face. This is a meaningful data point: prior to 2025, the foundation maintained an extremely low public profile consistent with its private, relationship-driven model.

Financially, FY2024 saw assets climb from $55.7M to $62.7M (12.6% growth), driven by $19.4M in total revenue. The primary tax return was filed November 14, 2025. Approximately 416 awards were made in 2024, though detailed grant schedules from this filing are not yet publicly available through ProPublica or Candid. Based on prior-year patterns, FY2024 institutional giving is likely in the $6–8M range.

No new program announcements, website updates, or leadership appointments were identified in 2025–2026 public records. The foundation's website (kelben.org) remains a minimal WordPress installation with no news, blog, or grant announcement sections. The foundation has no social media presence. This intentional communications minimalism is consistent with a private family foundation that neither solicits unsolicited proposals nor publicizes its grant decisions — a posture grant-seekers must account for in their outreach strategy.

For scholarship applicants — Milwaukee Public School seniors: This is the one formally open pathway to Kelben funding. Obtain the official Kelben Scholarship Application Form by calling the foundation at (414) 236-6223 or through your Milwaukee Public School guidance counselor. Compile an official high school transcript and secure a minimum of two letters of recommendation — ideally one from a teacher who can speak to academic ability and one from a community leader or employer who can directly attest to your financial circumstances and character. The historically referenced deadline is March 15; confirm this for the current cycle before beginning your application. Eligibility is non-negotiable: top 50% class rank, Milwaukee residency, demonstrated financial need, and confirmed intent to enroll full-time at an accredited four-year college. Two-year college plans do not qualify.

For organizational grant-seekers: - Do not send an unsolicited proposal. There is no grants management staff, no online portal, and no published RFP cycle. The foundation has zero employees. Unsolicited materials will not generate a productive response. - Map the Kellner family's Milwaukee board and civic memberships to identify genuine overlap. Kristin Kellner Schultz and Laura Kellner Lueck are the active relationship nodes as of 2025. Lutheran Social Services honored both in November 2025 — organizations embedded in Milwaukee human services networks have natural overlap points. - If your organization is a United Way member agency, lead with that affiliation in any introductory conversation. The foundation has directed over $5.3M through United Way channels and clearly trusts United Way's organizational vetting infrastructure. - Align proposal language to the foundation's demonstrated vocabulary: Milwaukee community impact, educational access for underserved youth, civic infrastructure, and health and human services. Avoid framing around innovation, disruption, or national scale. - First grants are typically $5,000–$25,000. Do not open with a six-figure request regardless of your organization's size or track record with other funders. Kelben scales relationships before scaling gifts — Cardinal Stritch University's $1.51M came across three grants, not one. - After any gift, provide a concise impact report with specific outcome data even if the foundation does not formally require one. This is the single most effective mechanism for progressing from a one-time grant to a multi-year relationship.